Peshawar - Restoration work has been completed in Peshawar Museum, and the premises have been restored to original ancient architecture, stated a senior official of the Directorate of Archaeology and& Museums Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday.
Director Archaeology and Museums Abdul Samad Khan said that the museum is considered to be a home of Gandhara Civilisation in Pakistan.
“Peshawar Museum is one of the old museums of Pakistan and the world’s biggest Gandhara art museum where precious antiques, sculpture, coins, statues and art works were preserved for around one and half century,” he added.
He said that elements added in the museum’s architecture during last 50 years were removed by Directorate of Archaeology and Museums in the recent restoration works. “False ceilings were removed, arches reopened, rooftop, cupolas, minarets rehabilitated, oil paints removed and wooden floor were conserved,” he added.
The museum is famous all over the world as one of the biggest for its Gandhara period (200 BCE-600 CE) Buddhist sculptures. It is made of red bricks and its hall was used as ballroom and later the building was converted into a museum in 1906–07 in memory of Queen Victoria.
The building is a mixture of British and Mughal architectures. Initially it had a main hall and 2 side aisles on ground and 1st level, surmounted on all corners by 4 graceful cupolas and miniature pinnacles. Later, 2 more halls were added in 1969–70, 2nd floor was constructed in 1974–75.